Lobotomies: Its Problematic History
Women who have sought help in the past have repeatedly had poor outcomes in the field of psychiatry, exemplified in the use of lobotomies, a type of brain surgery that was used to “treat” mental health by reducing tension or agitation. Various mental disorders at target included:
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Psychosis/Schizophrenia
Neurosis
Depression
Psychopathic Personality
Most lobotomies were conducted on women, as they were expected to be cooperative, calm, and attentive; when they were not, they could be subject to a lobotomy. After treatment, patients were reported as more docile and comfortable. However, the effects are more dangerous than imaginable.
The Neuroscience Behind Lobotomies
The operation aimed to sever the nerve fibers between the frontal lobe of the brain and the thalamus, known as the thalamo-frontal radiation. The most frequently performed lobotomy was the transorbital, which meant that a long cannula would be guided through the patient’s eye socket, into the brain, then moved left to right to destroy the patient’s lower frontal lobe.
The frontal lobe is the brain area that controls actions such as thinking, emotions, judgment, control, and personality. By severing it, physicians were causing brain damage to their patients to allow them a more docile and amiable nature.
However, there were many dangerous side effects, such as:
Brain infection and/or death
Dementia
Intellectual impairment
Apathy
Obesity
Bleeding after treatment
Valium as a Means for Control
By 1942, 75% of the lobotomies Freeman and Watts (creators of the lobotomy) performed were on women. This would make females compliant and allow them to return to care for their homes. Not only were lobotomies used to control women, but Valium, a “minor” tranquilizer, was used as well. Valium is a prescription medicine used to treat anxiety, but in the past, it has been used abundantly and carelessly to alleviate any pain or complaints from women, causing them to “feel less” and leading them to drug addictions and dangerous withdrawals.
Connection to Present Time Dangers
The misuse of lobotomies and tranquilizers for females can demonstrate a gender bias that physicians may have. Studies have shown that medical practitioners are still subject to an unconscious preference, which can become problematic in the medical field.
When practitioners act on implicit bias, a patient seeking help may be the one to suffer. One study of pain management in an urgent care setting showed that not only were women 13-15% less likely compared to men to receive opioid medications, but they also waited longer to see a doctor as well.
Evidence of prejudice in this field leads to many questions about how the past plays a role in prejudice now, providing possibilities for further change. Especially in today's climate, where healthcare access is being limited, it is critical to reflect on how bias is affecting and shaping how women are treated, both in society and the medical field. Despite the messy historical context behind modern medicine and practices today, medicine has ultimately come a long way, with much more to go as well.
Written By: Alissa Zhu
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